Shaker Theatre Arts’ production of “Chicago: Teen Edition” debuts tonight at 7 p.m. in the large auditorium.
Tickets are available online at shakertheatre.ludus.com or at the door. The cast will perform three shows: tonight, Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m.
The production stars Cassie Lyles as Velma Kelly, Sophia Federici as Roxie Hart, Myles Hills as Billy Flynn, and Winston Toplitz as Amos Hart. The musical opened on Broadway in 1975 and was adapted into a movie in 2002. The story is a satire set in Chicago during the Jazz Age, and follows two murderesses, Velma Kelly and Roxie Hart, and their chase for fame while behind bars.
Theatre Arts Department Chairman Scott J. Sumerak, who directs the musical, said that a lot goes into picking a show. “The first thing we think about is, is it a show we can pull off in our space? The next consideration is, is it something that the students are gonna be able to really dig their fingers into over the course of the year?” he said.
Chicago and its revival have been on Broadway for the last 50 years; it sits as the longest-running American musical in Broadway history. “Chicago holds a very special place in musical theatre because it fits into this little category of dark musicals. The shows are dark and edgy and fun and kind of naughty at the same time,” Sumerak said.
Immense amounts of behind the scenes work go into each production. “I think that a lot of people forget that what you see on stage is only a portion of the work that actually gets done,” Sumerak said.
Outside of the actors who perform in the production, other essential members of the Theatre Arts program make the show happen. “We’ve had a team of somewhere around 50 students working on this show. 20 of them or so are the performers, but we also have a pit orchestra of well over a dozen people. As well as a running crew backstage who work on lights, sound and microphones,” Sumerak said.
Sumerak said the Theatre Arts program nurtures “a sense of support and family and community. Everybody wants to think theater kids are gonna be snarky and snipey during auditions, but they are lifting each other up,” Sumerak said.
This community translates to the audition process as well. “They’re auditioning, they’re cheering for each other. They’re there supporting each other. You’d think it would be really scary to see all these people staring you down. But it’s really, actually uplifting and supportive,” he said.
The group has had to take on more choreography with this musical. “Chicago is a lot more unique from the shows I’ve been a part of,” senior stage manager Breanna Pierce said. “For example, there is a lot more dancing than I’m used to.”
The style of the show also stood out to the cast members. “It’s 1920s, and there’s a lot of dancing, which isn’t very Shaker theatre, and the costuming and lighting is really cool in this show just because it’s literally a show in a show,” Lyles said.
Said Sumerak, “The onstage performance is like a celebration of the work we’ve done, but it’s only a small piece of it.”
